or you can use 2 - 15 oz cans of assorted vegatables ,, this is what my family perfers ,, if you use the assorted veg's you must precook in a small pot before mixing for the casserole dish useing biscuits for topping ,,

For broth:
- Rib sections of 3 rabbits
- Coarse parts of celery, carrots, broccoli etc.
- Onions 2-3
- Liquid &#8211; half apple juice, half water
- Black peppercorns, whole allspice, dried hot red pepper, salt, assorted herbs such as thyme, marjoram, parsley or your favourite. I don&#8217;t measure, but I would think about a tablespoon each of the pepper and allspice, a scant teaspoon of red pepper, a teaspoon salt and a couple of tablespoons of herbs, more if they are fresh. I am heavy-handed with seasonings, but rabbit soup can take it.

Put everything in slow cooker just until the meat is tender.
Using tongs, remove the rib cages from the pot, cool until they can be handled and then take the meat from bones and refrigerate.
Replace bones in slow cooker and cook for another couple of hours.

Strain soup and discard solids. Return the broth to the slow cooker.

Drain and add beans. Chop and add: 4 onions, four carrots, a small turnip (white turnip, not rutabaga), a couple of parsnips, a few mushrooms, and 2 potatoes. Add some fresh herbs like thyme or marjoram if you have them, ground black pepper, a touch of ground cloves, salt, 1 spoonful white sugar to blend the flavours, and about 3-4 oz. sherry (optional). Cook until everything is tender, add the reserved rabbit meat, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Dust the legs and loin of a rabbit with dried herbs (your choice but marjoram and thyme are good) and a bit of black pepper. Wrap each piece in a slice of bacon and place in a casserole dish or roasting pan. Add a couple ounces of apple juice or sherry and bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately one hour. The bacon will baste the rabbit as it cooks.

I like to use a big roasting pan and set the rabbit pieces on a bed of chopped carrots and parsnips. In this case, I add a bit of extra parsley and marjoram to the veggies and increase the apple juice slightly. You can also bake potatoes in the same roaster.

another version ,
add 1 can of drained sm. green peas into the sauce when adding the mushrooms then pour over rabbit n rice ,, I like having 1 dish meals ..

(The origional recepie in my cookbook said to cook the rice a roni as directed on box and then put in the caserole dish ,, when I tried that way = double cooking the rice a roni , it made it 'mushy' , so I decided the 'cook' ment to say just brown the rice a roni like instructions on box ,, )

Loin/backstraps from several fryer rabbits
Pat of butter
Sage and black pepper to taste

Carefully remove the long muscle running on either side of the rabbit's spine. Also remove the muscle running parallel to this one on the inside of the rabbit. Slice these across the grain into pieces about 1/2" thick. You'll end up with a bunch of tiny "nuggets". Heat a frying pan on medium low heat. When the pan is sufficently heated, add just enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Slip the slices of loin into the hot butter, sprinkle with sage and black pepper to taste. Sautee until both sides of the meat is white, but not too long or the meat will dry out. Watch closely, this doesn't take very long to cook!

When I butcher a large rabbit that will make several cups of meat I first put the cut up parts in a stock pot with 8-9 quarts of water. I add diced onion, garlic, 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1-1.5 teaspoons of ground Annatto, and a little bit of cayanne pepper (to your desired heat level) and boil until rabbit is coming off the bone. Remove meat and bones to cool. To broth - this is for beef flavored - add 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 8 beef boulion cubes, and more salt if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes to mix flavors and put in quart jars - I process mine at 15 pounds for 25 minutes to store on shelf but one can freeze instead. I use this broth to make soup or add to beans (dried or string) while cooking for flavor.

This receipe was taken from a very old cookbook my Mother has - I am not sure of the name or where she received the cookbook from but from what I can remember of the book it was one of a school book fashion and had directions for cooking in a "modern oven" and wood fired ovens.....

In a heavy 5 qt. flameproof casserole, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. Spread the bacon out on a double thickness of paper towels to drain and set the casserole with the bacon fat aside.
Wash the rabbit pieces under cold water and pat thoroughly dry. Sprinkle with the pieces with salt and pepper, then dip into flour and shake off any excess.
Heat the bacon fat in the casserole over high heat until it sputters. Add the rabbit, a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides, regulating the heat so that they brown quickly and evenly without burning. As they are done, transfer the pieces to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tbls. fat from the casserole and in it cook the shallots/onions and garlic, stirring frequently, for 4 or 5 minutes until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown. Pour in the wine and stock, and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping in any brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan. Stir in the brandy, currant jelly, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme, and return the rabbit and any juices collected around it to the casserole. Add the drained bacon, cover the casserole tightly and bake in a 350 oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the rabbit is tender but not falling apart.
(Young fryer rabbits cook in about an hour). Pick out the bay leaf, stir in the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. The sauce should be quite peppery.
Serve the rabbit directly from the casserole or arrange on a deep heated platter and pour the sauce over. Noodles or German Spatzle (Tiny Dumplings) are excellent with this recipe. Serves 6 to 8.
(Doris L. Carnahan)

Mix rice, milk, mushrooms, and soups together and place in a buttered casserole dish. Season rabbit pieces with soup mix, salt and pepper. Arrange pieces of rabbit on top of rice. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350. I use a large 9 x 13 inch Pyrex and cover with foil.
(Karen Horniak)

My mom used to cook rabbit using the same recipe for Deep Fried Chicken in the Fanny Farmer Cook book. I'm sure any Deep Fried or Fried Chicken recipe would work.

I make up my own fried chicken recipe using 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp, cayenne pepper, 1 TBS. parsley, 1/4 tsp. tarragon, 1/4 thyme, then mix it all together. Dip each sectoin of rabbit in milk or an egg wash, then dip in flour mixture and put into a pan with enough oil to fry with or fry in a deep fryer. You can also use a pre-mixed chicken or beef seasoning salt (about 1 TBS for cup of flour) to use as seasoning.

You can use whatever seasonings you want or even whatever flour you want. Use a light oil to fry it in though or you get a really greasy piece of rabbit.

Other ideas:

If you want it really light, you can debone the rabbit, then use tempura mix to fry it. This works really well also.

Or you can stir fry it with veggies fresh from the garden--sweet and sour bunny anyone?

Take whole rabbit and stuff the cavity with fresh basil. Put in glass pan with 1/4 inch of water. Cover with tinfoil so it will steam. Bake on lowest setting in oven or large toaster oven overnight. Eat for lunch next day. The flavor will seep through the meat and it will be falling off the bones.

Orange Rabbit.

Cut up rabbit in pieces. Cook in large frypan with water, orange juice, raisins, capers, orange pieces, finely chopped onions, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, almond slivers, salt and pepper. Turn frequently so juice seeps into meat. Then cover and cook until meat is done and flavor has gone through the meat. Serve with some of the juice and fruit. This is an authentic Mexican recipe from a very old book.

This dish can be served with a soft pillow of polenta served with the juice from the braised rabbit.

1 (3 Pound) Rabbit, Dressed And Cut Into 10 Pieces

1/4 Cup Sea Salt

3 Tablespoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Large Clove Garlic, Minced

1 Medium Onion, Peeled And Sliced Thinly

1-1/2 Cups Dry Red Wine

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

Soft Polenta To Serve (Optional)

Place the rabbit pieces in a bowl with the salt and sugar, and cover with water. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain the rabbit and pat it dry. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet that will hold all of the rabbit pieces, and brown the rabbit on all sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove to a plate and cook the onions until soft, and slightly browned. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant. Add the wine, tomato paste, and broth, and return the rabbit to the pan.

Cover the pan, reduce to low, and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the rabbit is tender, turning over the pieces every 15 minutes or so. Remove the rabbit to a heated platter, and cover. Cook the sauce in the pan over high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until it is thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley, mixing well. Place the hot polenta onto a serving platter, and place the rabbit pieces on top. Pour the sauce over the rabbit, and serve.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2002

Although rabbit is prepared in a number of ways, my favorite way is to simply braise it in a light sauce after it has been briefly brined in a salt water bath which helps to temper any gamey flavor.

1 (3 Pound) Rabbit, Dressed And Cut Into 10 Pieces

1/4 Cup Sea Salt

3 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Cloves Garlic, Peeled

2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary

1/3 Cup White Wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

3/4 Cup White Wine

1/2 Cup Fresh, Chopped Parsley

Place the rabbit pieces in a bowl with the salt and sugar, and cover with water. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain the rabbit and pat it dry. In a food processor, finely chop together the garlic, rosemary and vinegar. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet that will hold all of the rabbit pieces, and brown the rabbit on all sides, about 4 minutes each side.

Add the rosemary garlic mixture into the pan, brushing it over the rabbit pieces. Cover the pan, reduce to low, and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the rabbit is tender, turning over the pieces every 15 minutes or so. Remove the rabbit to a heated platter, and cover. Add the wine to the pan, and cook over high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until it is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley, mixing well. Pour the sauce over the rabbit, and serve.